At a glance
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| What it is | Half-day among the wineries around Pyrgos & Megalochori — Assyrtiko, Vinsanto |
| From Perissa | ≈8 km · ~15–25 min inland; most tours include hotel pickup |
| Cost | Guided 3-winery tour ~€100–150 pp; cellar-door flights from ~€12–20 |
| The wines | Assyrtiko (crisp dry white, PDO), oak-aged Nykteri, sweet Vinsanto |
| Best time | Late afternoon, so the last winery lands at sunset over the caldera |
| Best for | Wine tasting, caldera-view terraces |
| Time needed | An easy half-day |
One of the world's strangest wine regions
Santorini is one of the oldest and strangest wine regions in the world — an arid volcanic island where vines are woven into low baskets on the ground and grow with almost no rain, on soil made of pumice and ash. A Santorini wine tour is an easy half-day from Perissa, taking you up into the island's interior to the wineries around Pyrgos, Megalochori and Exo Gonia to taste the crisp, mineral Assyrtiko whites and the sweet, sun-dried Vinsanto.
The most famous local adaptation is the kouloura (the "basket" vine): each vine is trained into a low, coiled wreath on the ground, with the grapes growing on the inside, sheltered from the fierce wind and sun and surviving largely on humidity and morning dew. Because the sandy volcanic ground was never hospitable to the phylloxera louse that wiped out most of Europe's vineyards, many Santorini vines are ungrafted and own-rooted, with root systems centuries old. The result is a white of unusually high acidity and a distinctive salty, mineral, citrus character, carrying the Santorini PDO.
The wines you'll taste
| Wine | Style | Tastes like |
|---|---|---|
| Assyrtiko | Dry white, high acid | Lemon, green apple, flint, sea salt — crisp and bracing |
| Nykteri | Oak-aged dry white | Fuller-bodied Assyrtiko, riper fruit, a little oak, higher alcohol |
| Vinsanto | Sweet dessert wine | Sun-dried grapes: honey, dried apricot, caramel, still with bright acidity |
Assyrtiko is the island's flagship grape. Nykteri is a traditional oak-aged, higher-alcohol style. Vinsanto is Santorini's prized sweet wine, made by leaving grapes to shrivel in the sun before a long ageing in barrel.
The landmark wineries
- Santo Wines — the big cooperative near Pyrgos, with the most famous caldera-view tasting terrace on the island and the classic sunset stop; busy at golden hour.
- Venetsanos — perched dramatically above Athinios port, Santorini's first industrial winery, built into the slope so the wine flows down by gravity; usually a little calmer than Santo.
- Estate Argyros — a heritage family estate renowned for old ungrafted Assyrtiko vines and some of the island's most celebrated Vinsanto.
- Art Space — an atmospheric winery and art gallery set in an old canava (cave cellar) at Exo Gonia.
Doing it from Perissa
The wineries cluster inland around Pyrgos, Megalochori, Exo Gonia and Emporio — the high middle of the island — roughly a 15–25 minute drive up from Perissa. Two ways to do it:
- Join a tour with pickup. Most small-group and private tours collect you from your Perissa or Perivolos hotel and bring you back, so nobody has to stay sober to drive. Typical guided three-winery tours run €100–150 per person.
- Drive yourself. Rent a car or ATV and string together two or three wineries — but pick a designated driver and go easy on the pours.
Time it for late afternoon so your final winery — Santo or Venetsanos — coincides with the sunset over the caldera, a calmer alternative to the crowds in Oia. See our full Santorini wine tour guide.
